Youth Training Scheme

asked the Paymaster General how many people are currently on the YTS scheme in Cheltenham and Gloucestershire, respectively; and what will be the effect of the introduction of the recently launched two-year scheme in the same areas.

At the end of February, the latest date for which statistics are available, there were 506 young people in training on YTS in the Cheltenham local authority district and 2,590 in training on the scheme in the county of Gloucestershire.

It is planned to provide 850 places in Cheltenham and 4,247 places in Gloucestershire for the new scheme. This will ensure opportunities for all eligible young people in the area.

asked the Paymaster General how many people have completed the YTS in Cheltenham and Gloucestershire, respectively, since the scheme's inception; how many completers have found full or part-time employment; and if he will make a statement.

Between the introduction of YTS in April 1983 and the end of February 1986, 3,856 young people in Gloucestershire completed schemes, including 782 in the Cheltenham local authority district. During the same period, a further 3,741 young people in Gloucestershire (and 800 in Cheltenham) left their schemes four or more weeks before the date on which they were due to complete.

The Manpower Services Commission conducts a regular follow-up survey of young people some three months after they leave YTS. The latest results cover young people who left YTS between April and September 1985. These show that of those completing schemes in Gloucestershire, 70 per cent. were in work. The comparable figure for the Cheltenham local authority district is 74 per cent.